H.  EHRLICH 

HOW  TO  PRACTISE  ON 
THE  PIANO 

REFLECTIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS 


Ho<w  to  Practise  on  the  Piano 

REFLECTIONS 

AND 

SUGGESTIONS 

BY 

H.    EH  RL1CH 

WITH    PRECISE    DIRECTIONS    FOR   THE    PROPER 

USE    OF   THE 
TAUSIG-EHRLICH    "DAILY    STUDIES" 

TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  GERMAN  BY 

J.  H.  CORNELL 

THIRD  EDITION,  REVISED  BY 

DR.  TH.  BAKER 

Price,  net,  25  cents 
NEW  YORK  :  G.  SCHIRMER 

1917 


COPYRIGHT,  1901,  BY 
G.  SCHIRMEK. 


Muria 
Library 

Mr 

220 


IT  is  not,  by  any  means,  the  aim  of  this  work  to  set  up  a 
new  Method  of  Piano-playing  in  general,  or  to  supersede  or 
oppose  any  method  already  established ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, to  form  a  Supplement  to  all  methods,  and  to  call  the 
attention  of  unprejudiced  experts  to  a  manner  of  practising, 
not  of  executing,  which  has  hitherto  not  been  attempted,  and 
from  which  the  author  has  obtained  the  best  results.  At  the 
oufeset  it  certainly  presents  some  difficulties  ;  but  it  provides, 
within  a  short  time,  the  surest  means  for  the  pupil's  guarding 
against  a  wrong  position  of  hand  and  wrist,  and  for  uner- 
ringly regulating  the  various  positions  for  the  Legato  and 
Staccato,  for  octaves  and  double  trills  in  one  hand,  and  also 
of  forming  a  correct  fingering,  which  is  attainable,  in  fact, 
only  through  a  correct  position  of  the  hands ;  precisely  in 
this  matter  of  teaching  his  pupils  to  finger  passages  for 
themselves,  the  author  has  obtained  results  which  were  often 
surprising. 

Every  teacher  and  learner  has  experienced  how  difficult  it 
is,  so  to  regulate  the  position  of  the  fingers,  hand  and  wrist, 
and  of  the  arms,  that  each  may  act  independently  of  the 
others.  To  attain  this  end,  years  of  practice  by  the  pupil 
and  the  unremitting  attention  of  the  teacher  are  often  neces- 
sary. All  kinds  of  machines,  hand-guides,  etc.,  have  been 
invented  for  promoting  the  proper  hand-position.  They  may 
do  some  good,  but  labor  under  this  disadvantage,  that  the 


2  HOW   TO   PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

pupil  depends  too  much  on  them,  so  that  after  they  are  given 
up  it  is  long  before  he  can  do  independently  what  with  their 
aid  was  easy  enough.  This  independence  from  the  very  out- 
set, without  the  aid  of  any  apparatus,  is  what  the  author  aims 
to  promote.  The  method  of  practising  which  he  here  presents, 
renders  every  incorrect  position  of  the  fingers,  and  more 
especially  of  the  wrist,  and  every  objectionable  movement  of 
the  arms,  impossible  from  the  beginning.  It  is  adapted  for 
beginners  —  of  course  with  great  caution  and  moderation ; 
but  with  more  advanced  pupils,  who  have  had  one  and  a  half 
or  two  years'  instruction,  it  may  be  carried  out  strictly,  with 
perfect  confidence.  Always,  however,  even  in  the  case  of 
very  advanced  pupils,  due  moderation  must  be  strictly  ob- 
served and  prescribed  to  the  pupil  for  practice  by  himself. 

In  presenting  this  method  to  experts,  teachers  and  learn- 
ers, the  author  must  most  emphatically  declare,  and  will  often 
repeat,  that  he  submits  it,  not  as  an  authoritative  system  of 
instruction  in  itself,  but  as  an  important  aid  to  practice, 
standing  in  the  same  relation  to  piano-study  as  gymnastic 
exercise  to  the  ordinary  motions  of  daily  life.  Such  exer- 
cise does  not  teach  walking,  dancing,  graceful  deportment, 
etc.,  nor  does  it  give  any  particular  expression  to  the  counte- 
nance ;  but  it  nevertheless  develops  each  single  muscle  of  the 
body  to  such  a  degree  as  to  secure  perfect  equilibrium,  per- 
fect co-operation  of  the  several  powers,  so  that  the  gymnast 
does  many  things  with  ease,  which  even  a  strong  but  un- 
trained man  can  accomplish  only  with  great  difficulty,  or  not 
at  all.  The  present  method  has  this  additional  similarity  to 
gymnastics,  that  it  is  really  profitable  only  when  applied  in 
moderation  and  with  slow  motions.  For  gymnastic  exercise 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO.  O 

develops  and  strengthens  the  muscles,  promoting  health  and 
giving  great  certainty  in  all  movements  ;  but  as  soon  as  it  is 
practised  beyond  a  certain  wholesome  limit,  exhaustion  -and 
relaxation  result,  often  rendering  its  discontinuance  neces- 
sary. 

The  method  I  lay  down,  in  conjunction  with  the  practice 
of  the  "Daily  Studies"  by  Tausig-Ehrlich,  strengthens  the 
fingers  and  wrist  in  the  highest  degree,  but  this  kind  of  prac-^ 
tice  should  not  exceed  5  to  8  minutes  at  first,  afterwards 
say  10  to  15,  perhaps  three  times  daily ;  otherwise,  espe- 
cially in  the  beginning,  before  the  hands  and  fingers  are  used 
to  the  method,  the  pupil  will  become  so  exhausted  that  he 
may  even  have  to  give  up  playing  for  some  time. 

In  order  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  physiological  expla- 
nation for  the  peculiar  consequences  of  his  method,  namely, 
the  great  fatigue  at  first,  the  unfailing  success  in  a  short 
time,  the  author  applied  to  Professor  Kronecker,  director  of 
a  physiological  department  in  the  Royal  University  of  Berlin, 
and  Dr.  Remak,  private  tutor  in  the  University,  requesting 
them  to  favor  him  with  their  views  on  the  subject.  They 
kindly  gave  him  the  information,  that  the  movements  of  the 
muscles  of  the  arms,  wrist  and  fingers  (like  the '  movements 
of  all  joints)  are  most  extraordinarily  complex.  Dr.  Remak 
demonstrated  to  the  author  how  every  movement  of  a  joint 
is  dependent  on  the  appropriate  co-operation  of  several  mus- 
cles ;  furthermore,  this  co-operation  has  for  its  result  not 
only  that  movement  which  outwardly  appears  as  the  one 
intended,  but  also  (in  the  interior  structure  of  the  muscles) 
movements  in  a  direction  contrary  to  those  that  appear  out- 
wardly. Thus,  when  the  pianist  merely  raises  his  finger  for 


4  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

the  stroke,  he  sets  in  motion  not  only  that  muscle  which 
stretches  the  finger-joint  nearest  to  the  hand,  but  also  a  series 
of  other  muscles  which  act  partly  in  contrary  motion.  An 
enumeration  and  description,  however  incomplete,  of  all  the 
muscles  brought  into  action  in  piano-playing,  would  occupy 
too  much  space,  and  does  not  come  within  the  scope  of  this 
work.  The  author  will,  therefore,  confine  himself  to  explain- 
ing why  the  particular  position  of  the  upper  arm  which  his 
method  prescribes  produces  results  so  extraordinary. 

In  piano-playing  the  upper  arm  is  in  so  far  active,  that  it 
keeps  the  elbow  in  position.  But  the  exact  and  steady 
control  of  the  position  of  the  elbow  and  the  forearm  does  not 
by  any  means  proceed  from  the  mere  will  of  the  player,  but 
is  the  result  of  long  habit,  practice,  and  great  watchfulness 
on  the  part  of  both  teacher  and  pupil. 

Holding  the  upper  arm  free,  as  recommended  —  and,  at 
the  proper  time,  quite  rightly  —  to  pianists,  is,  especially  in 
the  first  years  of  study,  often  detrimental  to  a  correct  posi- 
tion of  the  fingers,  hand  and  wrist,  as  it  induces  obliquity  of 
the  forearm,  a  bad  position  of  the  hand,  and  an  uneven 
raising  and  lowering  of  the  wrist — faults  which  would 
escape  the  pupil's  notice.  Such  faults  are,  however,  rendered 
impossible  if  the  upper  arm  is,  during  practice,  for  a  short 
time  robbed,  as  it  were,  of  its  freedom  of  motion,  and  forced 
to  maintain  a  fixed  position.  Through  the  contraction  here- 
by imposed  upon  a  part  of  the  muscles  of  the  upper  arm,  the 
movement  of  the  flexors  of  the  upper  arm  is  also  in  great 
part  prevented ;  the  player  is  forced  to  give  up  the  oscillat- 
ing motions  of  the  elbow,  and  to  move  only  the  wrist  or  the 
fingers,  as  may  be  required.  That  the  upper  arm  can  be 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON   THE    PIAXO.  5 

kept  inactive  for  a  considerable  time,  the  player  will  best 
realize  by  pressing  that  member  tight  to  the  body,  holding  the 
elboiv  not  against  the  side,  but  more  to  the  front,  and  playing 
the  following : 


The  contrary  motion  of  the  hands  does  not  prevent  the 
upper  arms  from  retaining  their  position.  Only  when  the 
passage  is  extended  upward  and  downward,  must  the  upper 
arms  be  freed  from  restraint. 

From  these  considerations,  it  will  be  evident  to  the  reader 
that  the  chief  aim  in  developing  mechanical  skill  in  piano- 
playing  must  be,  at  the  outset,  to  reduce  to  a  minimum  the 
motions  of  the  upper  and  forearm,  and  to  concentrate  activity 
in  the  fingers,  hand  and  wrist  ^  to  look  after  the  right  posi- 
tion of  the  fingers,  hand  and  wrist,  and  that  of  the  arm  at 
the  same  time,  is  for  pupils  of  the  middle  stage  a  very  diffi- 
cult task,  seldom  perfectly  accomplished,  and  only  after  a 
long  time  and  great  painstaking.  The  incorrect  position  of 
the  fingers,  now  too  straight  and  again  too  much  bent,  causing 
them  to  touch  the  keys  either  with  the  middle  joint,  or  with 
the  nails ;  the  turning  the  elbow  outward,  by  which  the 
position  of  the  hand  is  changed  every  instant ;  the  drawing 
the  forearm  forward  and  back,  whereby  the  wrist  is  pre- 
vented from  being  quiet  and  from  ever  attaining  to  even  and 


6  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

regular  motion ;  the  pushing  with  the  upper  arm,  which 
places  the  hand  either  too  far  back  on  the  keyboard  or  too 
far  forward ;  —  all  these  are  drawbacks  which  every  one 
would  like  to  be  able  to  remove.  The  method  now  under 
discussion  enables  the  pupil  in  a  short  time  to  master  the 
chief  difficulties,  to  escape  the  danger  of  contracting  most  of 
the  aforesaid  bad  habits,  and  to  acquire  easy  and  sure  control, 
during  practice,  over  the  position  of  the  hand,  wrist  and 
arm.  The  extremely  simple  basis  of  this  method  is  this,  that 
in  slowly  practising  all  the  passages  that  are  to  be  played 
with  the  hand  at  rest,  and  all  those  in  which  the  wrist 
comes  in  motion,  but  especially  in  practising  the  "  Tausig- 
Ehrlich  Daily  Studies,"  the  upper  arm  should  be  held 
against,  or  as  close  as  possible  to,  the  front  of  the  body. 
That  this  position  of  the  upper  arm  is  not  to  be  rigorously 
observed  in  playing  pieces  more  rapidly,  must  be  stated 
emphatically,  to  avoid  all  misunderstanding ;  but  experience 
will  teach  that  strength  will  be  developed  in  quite  another 
way,  even  in  more  rapid  playing.  In  order  to  give  the  arm, 
and  thereby  the  fingers  and  wrist,  the  best  position  at  the 
present  stage,  and  at  the  same  time  to  exercise  the  most  per- 
fect control  over  all  their  movements,  the  following  directions 
should  be  observed. 

First,  lay  the  fingers  of  both  hands  flat  on  the  keys  c  e  g 
a  c,1  yet  so  that  the  round,  fleshy  part  of  the  finger  tips,  but 
by  no  means  the  nail,  touches  the  keys.  The  thumb,  of 
course,  does  not  lie  perfectly  flat  on  its  key,  but  is  turned  edge- 
ways. The  fingers  having  been  thus  set  on  the  keys,  the 

1  Smaller  hands  will  have  to  take  c  d  efg,  and  here  the  thumbs  of  both 
hands  will,  of  course,  lie  more  with  the  outer  edge  on  the  keys. 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE   PIANO.  7 

upper  arms  are  to  be  moved  toward  the  body  so  as  to  closely 
press  it  with  the  elbows ;  the  elbows,  however,  must  lie,  not 
beside  but  before  the  body,  the  forearm  remaining  extended 
in  front  of  the  body,  and  planted  on  the  ribs.  The  player 
must,  accordingly,  sit  perfectly  upright.1  The  teacher  will 
do  well  to  press,  during  some  lessons,  the  pupil's  upper  arm 
(holding  it  precisely  where  the  elbow  lies)  firmly  against  the 
body ;  be  it  well  observed,  the  elbow's  place  on  the  body  is 
in  front ;  for  if  it  be  held  further  back,  the  arm  loses  part  of 
its  strength.  In  the  very  act  of  moving  the  arms  close  to 
the  body,  the  fingers  must  take  the  right  position  on  the 
keys ;  it  is  impossible  to  hold  the  hands  sideways,  or  for  the 
ringers  not  to  lie  immediately  over  the  keys,  unless  the  fore- 
arm also  is  moved  sideways ;  hence,  the  moment  the  upper 
arm  is  pressed  against  the  body,  the  position  of  wrist  and 
hand  is  emphatically  a  compulsorily  correct  one.  It  remains 
only  to  give  the  fingers,  holding  c  e  g  a  c,  the  proper  position, 
as  prescribed  by  all  schools.  They  should,  while  firmly  stand- 
ing on  the  keys,  be  slowly  bent  as  far  as  is  practicable,  the 
fleshy  tip  of  each  finger  resting  on  the  key.  This  bending 
cannot  be  carried  to  excess,  since  the  elbows  form  the  natural 
impediment,  and  would,  at  the  moment  of  bending  the  fingers 
too  much,  retreat  behind  the  body.  Hence,  the  position  of 
the  upper  and  forearm,  as  above  indicated,  constitutes  an  in- 
fallible basis  of  self-control  for  the  proper  position  of  the 

1  Nearsighted  persons  should  wear  spectacles,  in  order  to  prevent  bending 
the  body  forward,  and  the  consequent  retreating  of  the  elbow.  The  spec- 
tacles should  be  so  focussed,  that  the  player,  when  sitting  upright,  can  see 
the  notes  distinctly.  The  wearing  of  such  spectacles  is  absolutely  essential 
to  prevent  an  incorrect  position  of  the  arm  and  hand  ;  and  a  good  optician 
should  be  consulted. 


8  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

fingers,  hand  and  wrist.  No  one  can,  after  a  few  days' 
application  of  this  method,  hold  the  fingers,  the  hand  and 
the  wrist  higher  than  they  can  be  raised  of  themselves,  i.e., 
without  at  the  same  time  raising  the  arm ;  both  extremes, 
that  of  too  high  and  of  too  low,  are  absolutely  avoided. 
Besides  these  advantages,  which  are  not  fully  recognized  by 
the  pupil  till  after  some  time,  this  method  also  develops  in 
the  highest  degree  the  strength  of  the  fingers  and  wrist,  by 
concentrating  power  upon  them.  This  is  best  demonstrated 
by  means  of  examples.  We  will  begin  with  the  simplest 
finger-motions.  The  pupil,  we  will  suppose,  strikes  the  tones 
<$  d$  e$  /$  g%,  each  one  five  or  six  times  alone,  quite  power- 
fully, with  both  hands,  ascending  and  descending,  observing 
meanwhile  the  prescribed  position  of  the  upper  arm.  At 
the  first  attempts  the  fingers  will  perhaps  still  press  the  keys 
down,  instead  of  raising  themselves  and  then  falling  and 
striking  in  hammer-fashion ;  but  after  a  few  minutes  the 
fingers  will  rise  automatically  in  the  proper  way ;  and  if  the 
pupil  will  take  care  —  it  is  not  difficult  to  remember — to 
have  the  fleshy  finger-tip  always  fall  straight  on  the  key,  he 
will  in  a  few  days  acquire  the  true  touch,  which  is,  of  course, 
also  attainable  by  other  methods,  but  only  after  much  time, 
with  greater  pains,  and  with  the  closest  attention  exerted  in 
many  directions,  whereas  in  the  method  here  laid  down  it  is 
only  necessary  to  attend  to  the  finger-tips,  —  for  the  position 
of  the  upper  arm  is,  after  from  five  to  eight  trials,  perfectly 
assured. 

The  above  exercise  for  the  five  fingers  will  be  most  profit- 
ably practised  in  tonalities  having  many  black  keys,  as  a  full 
stroke  is  more  difficult  on  the  latter  than  on  the  white  keys. 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

We  here  insert  an  additional  exercise  which  the  author 
has  recently  introduced,  -with  great  success,  as  a  preparatory 
exercise  for  all  kinds  of  piano-practice.  Before  practising 
any  difficult  passage,  the  pupil  should  execute  the  following 
exercise  with  both  hands : 


In  so  doing,  strictly  observe  the  following  directions :  — 
Each  finger  must  at  first  be  stretched  out  horizontally  to  its 
full  length,  and  then,  before  striking  the  key,  slowly  bent 
and  held  suspended  over  the  latter.  The  finger  should,  there- 
fore, not  bend  and  then  immediately  strike  the  key,  but  must 
remain  lifted,  after  bending,  above  the  key,  and  then  strike 
it.  This  exercise  can  be  most  precisely  executed  when  the 
pupil  counts  one  !  two  !  three  !  —  at  one  extending  the  finger 
slowly  and  completely,  at  two  bending  it  and  holding  it  lifted 
over  the  key,  and  at  three  striking.  The  slower  the  move- 
ments, the  greater  their  effect.  The  author  can  give  positive 
assurance,  from  experience,  that  this  exercise  is  one  of  the 
most  effective  of  all,  promoting  strength  and  lightness  of 
touch  in  a  surprising  manner.  It  should,  of  course,  be  exe- 
cuted, as  a  preliminary  exercise  to  any  given  passage,  in  the 
same  key  as  that  passage.  Also  carefully  observe  the  rule, 
that  the  finger  should  strike  with  the  fleshy  tip,  and  never 
with  the  nail,  and  should  hold  the  key  down  until  the  next 
finger  has  struck  its  key. 

Players  having  large  hands  frequently  bend  the  tip-joint 


10  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

of  the  finger  too  much,  and  strike  the  key  with  the  nail.  To 
avoid  this,  they  should  bend  the  middle  joint  considerably 
less,  in  order  to  insure  the  striking  of  the  key  with  the  fleshy 
tip  alone.  The  teacher  has  to  bestow  even  greater  attention 
on  the  position  of  elbow  and  wrist,  in  the  case  of  players 
with  large  hands,  than  when  the  pupil's  hands  are  small, 
because  the  mere  circumstance  of  having  small  hands  often 
forces  the  pupil  to  assume  the  correct  position. 

After  these  perfectly  simple  bendings  and  movements  of 
the  fingers  have  been  practised  a  few  days  three  or  four  times 
daily,  from  three  to  five  minutes  at  a  time,  I  would  advise 
that  the  pupil  proceed  at  once  to  the  practice  of  the  scales, 
in  a  compass  of  two  octaves,  the  right  hand  beginning  on  c  of 
the  Small  Octave,  and  no  finger  being  raised  from  its  key  till 
the  next  one  is  lying  full  on  its  key,  thus : 


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J 

^^ft^^fL 


^=1=d: 
T-      -j-       -.»- 


Descending : 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE   PIANO.  11 

In  this  exercise  the  striking  finger  must  be  raised  as  high 
as  possible  (while  the  other  remains  down),  and  must  fall 
quite  forcibly  with  its  fleshy  tip  on  the  key;  the  upper  arm 
is,  of  course,  held  close  to  the  body.  The  reason  why  I  in- 
sist upon  keeping  one  finger  down,  is  very  important.  The 
striking  finger  must  be  raised  high,  in  order  to  fall  full  and 
strongly  upon  the  key,  yet  ivithout  at  the  same  time  raising 
the  wrist,  of  which  there  is  danger.  The  wrist  should  remain 
inactive,  the  power  of  the  jingers  only  being  exerted ;  and,  to 
insure  this,  the  finger  which  had  the  last  tone  remains  down. 
The  next  finger  may  then  lift  itself  as  high  as  it  will,  the 
wrist  is  forced  to  remain  quiet,  as  the  finger  which  is  down, 
together  with  the  elbow  resting  on  the  body,  prevents  its 
rising.  By  this  exercise  it  is  made  clear  that  the  very  best 
legato  may  be  acquired  without  in  the  least  changing  the 
position  of  the  hand ;  in  the  ascending  scale  the  3d  or  4th 
finger  of  the  right  hand,  being  forced  to  remain  down  while 
the  thumb  strikes  the  tone  next  above,  thereby  forms  an 
arch,  under  which  the  thumb  reaches  its  key  quite  easily, 
without  at  all  changing  the  position  of  the  hand ;  in  descend- 
ing, the  3d  and  4th  fingers  do  the  curving  over  the  thumb, 
which  is  kept  down.  What  is  here  said  of  the  right  hand, 
applies  to  the  left  also,  with  the  difference  that  in  the  latter 
the  arcJies  are  formed  in  descending,  the  curvings  in  ascending. 
The  author  must  again  call  attention  to  two  important  points  ; 
first,  that  only  slow  and  very  careful  practice  affords  real 
profit ;  secondly,  that  we  are  concerned  only  with  a  kind  of 
gymnastic  exercise,  by  no  means  with  an  absolute  system 
applicable  to  all  cases. 

He  who  has  for  some  weeks  practised  the  scales  in  the 


12  HOW    TO    PKACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

manner  here  recommended,  very  slowly,  and  with  the  pre- 
scribed position  of  the  upper  arm  and  the  elbow,  will  be  able 
to  play  them  in  any  other  way,  according  to  any  other  direc- 
tions, with  greater  rapidity  and  certainty;  just  as  the  gym- 
nast, who,  from  having  been  accustomed  to  lift  the  heavy 
dumb-bells  toward  right  and  left,  not  suddenly  but  slowly,  is 
able  later  to  lift  much  heavier  weights,  when  accompanying 
the  action  with  a  slight  swing  of  the  arm  ;  and  whoever  prac- 
tises the  scales  slowly,  tolerably  legato  and  evenly,  with  the 
upper  arm  in  the  prescribed  position,  will  be  able  to  play 
them  with  free  arms  in  the  most  rapid  tempo,  and  with  per- 
fect correctness,  and  this  after  only  half  the  time  given  to 
practice  which  would  have  been  requisite  had  he  not  adopted 
this  method. 

After  the  scales  have  been  practised  in  this  way  for  some 
time,  it  is  proper  to  proceed  to  Broken  Chords  (Arpeggios), 
and  at  the  same  time  to  attack  some  wrists-exercises.  Broken 
chords  are  to  be  practised  in  the  same  way  as  the  scales,  i.e., 
one  key  must  be  held  down  while  the  next  finger  raises 
itself  for  the  stroke,  then  falls  forcibly  with  the  fleshy  tip  on 
the  key  ;  thus  : 


J.- 


-J-=-N 


'  !if^p 


Here  the  pupil  will  meet  with  some  difficulties.  It  is  im- 
possible for  a  player  with  small  hands,  and  difficult  even  for 
one  with  long  but  untrained  fingers,  to  keep  the  upper  arm 


HOW   TO    PRACTISE   OX    THE   PIAXO.  13 

close  to  the  body  and  at  the  same  time  to  play  a  broken 
chord  slowly  in  the  way  indicated  above.  The  forearm,  and 
with  it  the  elbow,  will  necessarily  take  a  somewhat  slanting 
position,  thereby  removing  the  upper  arm  from  its  close 
proximity  to  the  body.  It  is  much  easier  to  retain  this  prox- 
imity of  the  upper  arm  in  playing  broken  chords  rapidly, 
when  of  course  the  holding  down  the  key  must  be  given  up. 
The  author  recommends  the  following  exercise  at  the  begin- 
ning : 


I 


=3= 


d: 


r-fjs 
v  v  i 


because  in  it  the  stretches  are  not  so  wide,  and  all  the  fingers 
are  brought  into  action. 

It  is  indisputably  easier  to  execute  the  legato  in  broken 
chords  (and  even  in  scales)  if  the  hands,  when  the  thumb 
passes  over,  are  turned  towards  right  and  left,  the  elbows 
outward.  This  ease  and  certainty  however,  last  only  as 
long  as  the  passages  concerned  are  played  piano  or  mezzo 
forte.  But  to  play  a  broken  chord,  a  running  passage  formed 
from  a  broken  chord,  or  a  scale,  ascending  with  the  right 
hand,  descending  with  the  left,  loud,  or  very  loud,  at  the  same 
time  holding  the  elbows  turned  outward,  is  almost  as  im- 
practicable as  to  give  a  blow  with  clinched  fist  without  keep- 
ing the  upper  arm  and  the  elbow  close  to  the  body. 

Let  the  following  be  attempted  : 


14 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 


SyLj*  ^ 

or  even  merely  this  : 


HOW   TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO.  15 

playing  in  the  left  hand  in  contrary  motion  and  keeping  the 
elbows  turned  outward,  and  it  will  at  once  be  seen,  that  the 
strength  of  the  fingers  decreases  as  they  get  higher  or  lower. 
Then  play  the  same  passages,  keeping  the  elbows  as  close  to 
the  body  as  possible,  and  in  front  of  it,  and  it  will  be  evident 
that  the  strength  increases  the  more  the  hands  move  away 
from  the  central  point,  and  the  more  the  upper  arm  can  sup- 
port this  outward  movement.  The  author  believes  that  he 
can,  without  great  presumption,  recommend  his  method  of 
practising  chords  as  suitable  for  every  kind  of  execution  — 
for  piano  and  forte ;  doubtless  (as  he  observed  at  the  very 
outset)  it  offers  difficulties,  especially  for  small  hands,  and 
a  perfectly  close  position  of  the  upper  arm  to  the  body  in  play- 
ing broken  chords  slowly  is  not  possible.  Asa  set-off  against 
its  difficulties,  the  method  offers  the  very  important  advan- 
tage, that  the  elasticity  of  the  separate  fingers  is  more  de- 
cidedly developed  than  in  any  other  system.  Be  it  well 
understood,  we  are  always  presupposing  slow  practice ! 
Whoever  has  been  accustomed  to  this  for  some  time,  will 
thenceforth  be  able  to  see  his  way  clear  under  all  circum- 
stances. 

Still  more  beneficial  is  the  close  position  of  the  upper  arm 
in  wrist-exercises,  which  it  is  earnestly  recommended  to  take 
up  simultaneously  with  broken  chords,  both,  of  course,  in 
very  great  moderation,  lest  the  pupil  become  too  much 
fatigued.  A  beginning  should  be  made  with  octaves  re- 
peated on  the  same  keys, 


16  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

in  both  hands,  very  slow  ;  the  wrist  must  be  raised  each  time 
as  high  us  possible,  the  elbow  close  to  the  body,  and  in  front  ; 
the  fingers,  including  the  thumb,  must  fall  with  the  fleshy 
tip  on  the  keys.  In  the  first  minute,  many  trying  it  for  the 
first  time  will  deem  it  impossible  to  play  an  octave  from  the 
wrist  without  at  the  same  time  moving  the  forearm  a  little ; 
but  on  resuming  the  exercise  after  a  short  interruption, 
even  those  least  accustomed  to  it  and  most  mistrustful  will 
be  convinced,  that  the  hand  moves  in  its  joint  quite  easily 
without  any  raising  of  the  forearm,  and  that  the  difficulty 
lies  rather  in  keeping  the  upper  arm  in  position.  More- 
over, every  imperfectly  trained  pianist  will  have  an  experi- 
ence which  ought  to  convince  him  of  the  correctness  of  this 
method ;  namely,  if  the  elbow  lies  against  the  body,  in  front, 
the  forearm  will,  at  the  first  attempts  at  wrist-exercises  in 
octaves  and  chords,  move  sympathetically,  i.e.,  raise  itself,  yet 
after  some  minutes  it  is  so  exhausted  that  the  wrist  alone 
will  move.  The  forearm  cannot,  in  fact,  in  that  position 
long  continue  in  motion,  and  is  forced  to  remain  at  rest. 

After  the  first  wrist-exercises  on  the  octave  c,  it  is  advis- 
able to  practise  the  same  motion  on  octaves  with  black  keys, 
and  then  to  proceed  chromatically,  thus  :  c,  c§,  d,  d§,  e,f,  etc., 
striking  each  octave  from  5  to  6  times  with  the  fleshy  tip  of 
the  finger.  It  is  strongly  recommended  even  in  these  begin- 
nings to  use  the  Ifih  finger  on  black  keys,  —  it  will  be  ex- 
plained later  why  this  usage  is  based  on  the  structure  of  the 
hand.  After  octaves  on  the  same  tones  have  been  practised 
for  some  time,  as  directed,  alternating  with  broken  chords, 
the  Scales  in  Octaves  may  be  begun.  Only  a  very  slow  tempo, 
however,  insures  the  perfectly  uniform  raising  and  lowering 


HOAV    TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    J'lAXO. 


17 


of  the  wrist,  together  with  a  uniform  strength  of  stroke.  The 
author  knows  by  his  own  experience  and  that  of  many  pupils, 
that  uncertainty  in  octave-passages  is  often  owing,  not  to  in- 
sufficient practice,  but  to  want  of  uniformity  of  wrist-motion, 
consequently  of  touch ;  and  that  very  sloic  practice,  with  the 
upper  and  lower  arm  perfectly  still,  far  more  speedily  insures 
unerring  execution  even  in  rapid  tempo,  than  much  longer 
practice  according  to  some  other  method,  in  which  the  raising 
and  lowering  of  the  wrist  cannot  be  so  forcedly  uniform  as  hi 
the  author's  method.  He  has,  especially  of  late,  obtained 
surprising  results  with  pupils  who  had  previously  greatly 
fatigued  themselves  over  difficult  passages.  One  could  not 
play  with  confidence  the  octave-passage  in  Schumann's  No- 
vellette  in  E  major ;  another  found  insurmountable  difficulties 
in  the  octave-skips  for  both  hands  in  the  Trio  (in  D  major) 
of  the  /$  minor  Novellette,  in  this  passage : 


etc. ; 


a  third  struggled  in  vain  with  the  octave-passage  in  contrary 
motion  in  Liszt's  transcription  of  the  Tannhauser-March : 


The  author  had  these  passages  practised  in  his  presence 
very  slowly,  some  10  or  12  times,  at  first  holding  the  pupil's 


18  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    PIANO. 

elbows  close  to  the  body,  but  after  the  fifth  time  allowing 
him  to  exert  his  own  strength.  This  procedure  was  success- 
ful, even  in  the  Tarinhauser-passage  above  cited,  with  both 
hands ; 1  after  the  pupils  had  practised  in  this  way  three 
times,  with  short  interruptions,  and  had  thus  gone  over  the 
passage  some  30  or  36  times,  they  were  able,  by  allowing 
only  a  little  more  freedom  to  the  forearm,  immediately  to 
execute  the  passages  in  question  in  considerably  quicker 
time  and  with  certainty,  which  they  had  never  before  accom- 
plished after  practising  almost  a  hundred  times  with  great 
'care,  but  without  system,  at  home. 

The  whole  secret  of  this  rapid  success  lay  in  the  circum- 
stance, that  by  holding  the  upper  and  lower  arm  as  directed, 
the  wrist  alone  was  brought  into  action  and  was  forced  to 
raise  and  lower  itself  uniformly.  For  the  chief  fault  of  most 
pupils  in  executing  octave-passages  and  chord-successions  in 
staccato  or  portamento,  consists  in  unconsciously  uneven  wrist- 
motion  ;  they  endeavor,  it  is  true,  to  avoid  raising  the  fore- 
arm and  the  wrist  at  once,  but  it  escapes  them  that  they 
sometimes  do  not  at  all  raise  the  arm  and  the  wrist,  merely 
pressing  down,  instead  of  striking,  the  octaves  or  chords,  at  the 
same  time  generally  pushing  the  arm  forward.  This  fault  is 
impossible  in  the  method  now  under  consideration.  The 
method  is  undeniably  difficult  in  wrist-exercises,  and  should  be 
applied  only  with  great  moderation  and  in  slow  tempo ;  but 
the  author  has  found  it  infallible,  and  productive  of  sur- 
prisingly quick  results ;  and  he  confidently  invites  teachers 
to  give  it  a  trial,  especially  as  it  does  not  combat  any  other 
method,  but  is  only  a  supplement  to  all. 

1  Short  arms  are,  of  course,  not  expected  to  remain  perfectly  close  to  the 
body,  from  the  upper  cfl  upward. 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE   PIANO.  19 

Whoever  has  for  some  time  practised  this  method  (how 
to  properly  apply  it  and  teach  it  to  others,  will  be  considered 
further  on),  will  often  find  with  remarkable  readiness  the 
best  way  of  fingering  passages,  even  the  most  difficult.  If  a 
trained  pianist  who  has  not  yet  applied  the  method  will  take 
the  trouble  to  hold  the  upper  arm  as  directed,  and  attempt 
the  following  passages,  the  fingering  of  which  generally 
offers  considerable  difficulty,  he  will  at  once  see  how  much 
easier  the  author's  fingering  is.  Let  us  take  this  passage  in 
the  3d  variation  of  the  Andante  of  Beethoven's  Grand 
'Sonata  in  /'  minor : 


holding  the  hand  somewhat  forward  towards  the  fall-board, 
and  it  will  soon  be  clear  that  the  above  fingering  is,  with  the 
hand  perfectly  at  rest,  the  easiest.  In  the  Sonata  in  A  major, 
Op.  101,  in  the  passage 

23451 

etc. 

,    -i   m    w 

-*- 


the  author  fingers  as  above  indicated,  and  many  of  his 
pupils,  who  found  this  at  first  impracticable,  and  to  whom 
he  had  then  given  liberty  to  find  a  better  fingering,  finally 
recognized  his  as  the  safest  and  easiest.  Likewise  in  Men- 
delssohn's Song  without  Words,  No.  11,  which  may  also  be 
regarded  as  an  excellent  exercise  for  the  left  hand,  the 
author  finds  that  his  peculiar  fingering  at  the  end  of  the 
first  division  : 


20  HOW  *TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 


is  the  surest  for  obtaining  a  good  legato  from  his  pupils, 
when  they  hold  the  upper  arm  near  to  the  body.  In  many 
a  Fugue  and  Partita  of  Bach  he  has  found  fingerings, 
by  means  of  his  method,  which  greatly  facilitate  difficult 
passages;  also  in  the  G  major  Nocturne  and  the  At?  major 
Ballade  of  Chopin  ;  and  after  a  trial  of  all  other  fingerings  he 
feels  he  can  say  without  presumption  that  his  may  be  classed 
among  the  safest  and  least  difficult.  It  often  happens,  too, 
that  a  fingering  which  at  first  seemed  the  most  awkward, 
after  it  had  been  practised  and  then  compared  with  others, 
seemingly  less  awkward  and  difficult,  turns  out  to  be  the 
safest  after  all,  as  involving  the  least  risk  of  missing,  playing 
wrong  notes,  etc.,  precisely  because  it  keeps  the  position  of 
the  hand  unchanged.  Of  course,  original  fingering  is  the 
last  stage  of  the  present  method,  and  possible  to  him  only 
who  by  frequent  practice  and  use  of  the  method  has  made 
it  his  own,  and  is  perfectly  certain  of  holding  his  arms 
in  the  proper  position. 

But  the  road  to  this  certainty  _s  comparatively  short  and, 
though  difficult,  with  some  attention  is  infallible  ;  and  the 
author  takes  the  liberty  again  to  precisely  indicate  this  road, 
which  leads  to  the  desired  goal  without  superseding  any 
other  method,  unless  it  be  an  intrinsically  wrong  one. 
Gymnastic  exercise,  when  cultivated  with  due  moderation, 
has  never  yet  spoiled  a  man's  bodily  carriage  when  good, 
though  it  has  improved  it  when  bad. 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE   PIANO.  21 

Every  one  who  wishes  to  follow  the  method  here  laid 
down,  should  for  8  or  10  days  practise  very  slowly  the  pre- 
ceding separate  finger-exercises,  scales,  broken  chords  and 
octaves,  in  the  proper  order,  at  first  not  longer  than  from 
2  to  5  minutes  at  most,  four  or  five  times  daily.  The  chief 
point  is,  that  the  upper  and  forearm  get  accustomed  to  their 
position,  and  that  the  keys  be  boldly  struck  by  the  fleshy 
finger-tip.  After  8  or  10  days  these  exercises  may  be  prac- 
tised longer,  or  —  which  is  much  more  profitable  —  oftener, 
say  6  to  8  times  daily,  always  from  4  to  6  minutes  at  a 
time.  For  the  rest,  the  pupil  may  practise  his  pieces,  just  as 
before,  according  to  his  teacher's  method ;  but  the  author 
would  venture  to  suggest  that  the  pupil,  when  slowly  prac- 
tising a  passage,  not  when  executing  it  in  the  proper  tempo, 
should  keep  the  upper  arm,  if  not  exactly  against,  yet  as 
near  to  the  body  as  possible.  The  development  of  strength 
necessarily  resulting  from  this,  re-acts  most  beneficially  on 
the  independence  of  the  fingers.  After  two  weeks  of  such 
preparation  by  means  of  the  simple  exercises,  the  pupil 
should  pass  on  to  the  "  Tausig-Ehrlich  Daily  Studies ; " 
these  must  absolutely  be  played  according  to  the  method, 
;vith  the  upper  arm  in  its  close  position,  the  elbows  firmly 
planted  in  front  of  the  body,  and  in  very  slow  tempo,  which 
may  be  somewhat  accelerated  only  after  long  practice.  Each 
tone  must  be  struck  full  with  raised  finger.  These  "  Daily 
Studies"  should  not — especially  in  the  beginning — be 
practised  longer  than  5,  then  8,  and  at  the  longest  10  minutes 
successively,  otherwise  they  fatigue,  relax,  and  strain  the 
hand  too  much ;  they  may,  however,  and  should,  be  taken 
up  often  through  the  day,  just  as  the  gymnast  takes  in  his 


22  HOW   TO   PRACTISE    ON    THE   PIANO. 

hand  the  dumb-bells  to  exercise  and  strengthen  the  muscles 
of  his  arms  and  wrists,  taking  good  care  not  to  exceed  at 
one  time  a  strictly  prescribed  limit.  The  author's  opinion 
is,  that  the  longest  practice  should  last  10,  15  or  20  minutes ; 
it  can,  however,  be  taken  up  —  according  to  the  player's 
usage  and  strength  —  three,  four,  or  even  five  times  a  day. 
This,  however,  by  no  means  implies  that  at  each  resumption 
of  practice  the  self -same  exercise  should  always  be  taken  up ; 
it  must  be  evident  to  all  that  expenditure  of  strength  on  a 
variety  of  objects  is  less  fatiguing  than  when  concentrated 
on  one  single  point. 

From  the  moment  that  the  "  Tausig-Ehrlich  Daily  Studies  " 
are  attacked,  it  is  also  recommended  that  the  pupil  —  with 
permission  of  his  teacher  —  practise  the  difficult  passages  of 
the  pieces  which  he  is  studying  ten  or  twelve  times  very 
slowly  and  with  a  vigorous  touch,  with  the  upper  arm  close 
to  the  body  and  the  elbows  before  the  body,  and  then  again 
attempt  them,  each  time  with  the  arm  free;  he  will  soon  be 
convinced  that  he  has  gained  greater  certainty,  repose  and 
power  in  the  execution.  Of  course,  patience  and  persever- 
ance are  necessary,  for  the  fatigue  is  at  first  not  trifling,  and 
many  a  player  will  for  some  days  complain  of  stiff  fingers, 
just  as  the  gymnast  after  the  first  exercises  feels  an  un- 
pleasant stretching  and  drawing  in  all  his  limbs  ;  but  in 
both  cases  the  beneficial  results  will  soon  be  evident,  and 
enjoyment  will  increase  with  the  progress  made.  This 
progress  will,  of  course,  show  itself  sooner  in  some  than  in 
others,  for  there  is  undoubtedly  a  special  talent  for  the 
purely  mechanical  and  technical  as  well  as  for  the  intel- 
lectual. No  one  will  deny  that  Tausig's  infallible  technique 


HOW   TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    PIAXO.  23 

was  the  result  not  merely  of  constant  practice,  but,  for  the 
most  part,  of  peculiar  talents  ;  these  talents  were,  it  is  true, 
developed  to  the  utmost  by  untiring  diligence,  but  it  is 
equally  true  that  another  pianist  could  never,  even  with 
twelve  hours'  daily  practice,  attain  to  this  technique  without 
being  gifted,  like  Tausig,  with  a  special  talent  in  this  direc- 
tion, without  uniting  to  perfect  mechanism  a  feeling  for 
clearness  and  rhythmics.  But  even  purely  mechanical  excel- 
lence, which  might  seem  the  result  of  practice,  is  often  due 
to  special  talent.  Willmer's  trill,  Dreyschock's  octave-pas- 
sages and  pearly  runs,  the  indefatigable  endurance  and 
power  of  the  recent  phenomenon,  Herr  Zarembski  —  the 
author  expressly  names  three  piano-virtuosi  with  whose 
musical  method  he  is  far  from  sympathizing — \vere  and  are 
special  achievements,  due  to 'a  particular  gift,  which  should, 
however,  not  be  overrated. 

The  author  can  testify  from  experience  that  even  such 
pupils  as  had  but  little  talent  for  technique,  after  patiently 
practising  for  some  time  according  to  the  method  here  ex- 
plained, all  at  once  showed  comparatively  sudden  progress ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  those  whose  organization  (structure 
of  the  fingers  and  wrist)  facilitated  the  mastery  over  techni- 
cal difficulties,  acquired  in  a  short  time  a  much  more  vigorous 
touch  and  greater  certainty  in  passages  of  every  kind. 

The  author  confidently  recommends  his  method  to  the 
favorable  consideration  of  teachers,  and  to  amateurs  for  self- 
instruction,  with  the  following  observations,  which  will  cer- 
tainly win  the  approval  of  all  intelligent  persons. 

In  our  time  the  mechanical  part  of  piano-playing,  i.e.,  mere 
isolated  passage-work,  having  nothing  in  common  with  Touch, 


24  HOW    TO   PRACTISE    ON    THE   PIANO. 

Rhythmics,  variety  of  Tone-color,  that  is,  with  the  technical 
part  properly  so  called,  has  had  an  enormous  development. 
To  say  nothing  of  the  modern  virtuoso-composers  —  the 
Herzes  and  Kalkbrenners,  and  others,  who  in  their  "  Fan- 
taisies  "  (without  fancy)  make  great  demands  on  the  player, 
or  of  the  as  yet  unequalled  master  of  the  piano,  Franz  Liszt, 
who,  in  his  Concert-pieces  and  Studies,  requires  the  "  tran- 
scendental," -  —  even  Beethoven  in  his  last  Sonatas,  then  Schu- 
mann and  Chopin,  and  now  Brahms,  Kiel,  Kirchner,  and 
others,  present  in  their  works  the  most  difficult  combinations 
of  runs,  trills,  double-notes,  chord-successions  in  rapid  tempo 
and  octave-passages,  the  mastery  of  which  is  the  more 
laborious  from  the  fact  that  the  effect  depends,  not  only  on 
the  technique,  but  equally  on  the  delivery,  the  spiritual  vivi- 
fication  of  the  passages.  Now,  it  is  not  necessary  to  demon- 
strate by  prolix  argumentation  that  by  far  the  greater  number 
of  young  pianists  make  the  greatest  account  of  the  technique 
and  devote  most  time  to  it.  Hereby  attention  is  withdrawn 
from  the  spiritual  conception  and  the  delivery.  On  the 
other  hand,  to  be  sure,  it  also  happens  that  many  a  pupil 
devotes  his  attention  chiefly  to  the  latter,  and  neglects  the 
technique,  which  thus  remains  faulty.  It  is  very  seldom  the 
case  that  the  mechanical  part,  the  technique,  and  the  deliv- 
ery, are  maintained  by  the  pupil  in  equilibrium,  and  it  may 
be  asserted  that  this  case  is  chiefly  the  result  of  extraordinary 
talent,  implying  that  the  pupil  has  a  quick  perception  and  a 
lively  imagination,  and  hence  can  afford  to  devote,  without 
detriment  to  the  delivery,  a  great  deal  of  time  to  the  techni- 
cal part.  The  author  sets  out  from  the  conviction  that  an 
equilibrium  between  the  purely  mechanical  exercises  and 


HOW   TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE   PIAITO.  25 

those  studies  which  develop  technique  and  delivery  —  the 
musical  element  —  is  best  established  by  assigning  to  the 
mechanical  part  little,  but  that  difficult,  and  to  the  musical 
part,  on  the  contrary^  much.  The  mechanical  exercises,  he 
thinks,  should  be  so  adapted  as  to  require  great  exertion  and 
with  but  moderate  practice  develop  strength  in  every  direction ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  so  much  the  more  time  and  attention 
should  be  given  to  those  exercises  which  promote  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  rhythmics,  which  perfect  the  touch,  kindle  and 
musically  refine  the  imagination,  cultivate  the  sense  of  form, 
quicken  the  perception,  facilitate  the  recognition  of  the  vari- 
ous tone-forms,  and  educate  the  mind  to  a  correct  apprecia- 
tion of  the  master-works  of  musical  art.  Hence,  as  soon  as 
the  pupil  has  reached  the  middle  stage,  and  —  for  instance  — 
is  ready  to  take  up  the  1st  Book  of  "Cramer's  Studies,"  the 
method  should  be,  nfew  difficult  technical  studies  (the  pupil's 
strength  and  abilities  determining  how  often  and  how  long 
they  are  to  be  practised),  and  many  pieces,  not  difficult  ones, 
but  such  as  must  and  can  be  played  well. 

Let  no  one  say,  it  is  dangerous  to  begin  difficult  technical 

studies  so  early,  to  weary  the  pupil  and  disgust  him  with  the 

piano  and  with  music  generally ;  that  it  is  necessary  rather 

to  begin  by  awakening  in  him  a  sincere  love  for  piano-playing 

—  the  rest  will  come  of  itself,  etc.,  etc. 

He  who  pursues  art  seriously,  whether  as  an  amateur  or 
professionally,  will  not  shun  any  difficulty  that  leads  more 
rapidly  to  the  goal.  And  the  teacher  must  on  his  part 
understand  how  to  foster  in  the  young  pupil  a  love  for 
music,  even  when  giving  him  many  a  hard  lesson.  With 
regard  to  the  necessity  of  beginning  early  with  difficult  ex- 


26  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

ercises,  the  author  would  refer  to  the  drill  of  the  Prussian 
recruits,  and  to  an  example  from  ancient  history.  Observ- 
ing how  the  Prussian  recruits  learn  to  march,  how  they  must 
first  raise  the  leg,  with  strongly  bent  knee,  very  high,  and 
hold  it  some  time  in  this  position,  how  they  then  with  a  jerk 
stretch  out  the  leg  and  foot  perfectly  stiff,  hold  them  so  a 
moment,  and  then  tread  on  the  ground,  thus  dividing  each 
step  into  three  parts,  whereas  in  ordinary  life  the  practice  is 
merely  to  raise  the  foot  a  little  above  the  ground  and  then 
set  it  down,  —  observing  all  this,  one  might  at  first  judge 
this  method  to  be  more  whimsical  than  useful ;  indeed  many 
a  superficial  observer  might  consider  such  an  exercise  as  only 
worrying  the  poor  man  for  nothing,  for  "  in  actual  marching 
he  never  uses  this  kind  of  step."  But  this  very  exercise  gives 
the  Prussian  soldier  steadiness  and  endurance  in  marching; 
precisely  because  he  has  been  required,  practising  slowly,  to 
exert  to  such  a  degree  the  power  of  all  the  muscles  of  the 
leg,  he  is  able  later,  in  more  rapid  movement,  to  overcome 
with  so  much  greater  ease  the  difficulties  of  a  long  and 
fatiguing  march.  So,  too,  did  many  a  Roman  soldier,  before 
going  into  battle,  bind  metallic  soles  under  his  sandals,  in 
order  that  the  march,  when  begun,  might  seem  rather  a  relief. 
In  the  same  way,  when  the  pianist  applies  in  his  slow  practice 
the  most  difficult  method,  requiring  the  exertion  and  concen- 
tration of  his  strength,  he  will  strengthen,  in  a  high  degree, 
the  muscles  of  his  fingers,  and  in  playing  overcome  all  diffi- 
culties with  greater  certainty  and  ease.  For  indolent  or 
weakly  students  of  music  this  method  is,  of  course,  not 
adapted ;  perseverance  and  a  certain  amount  of  strength  are 
now-a-days  necessary  to  every  one  who  desires  to  carry  piano- 


HOW   TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    PIANO.  27 

playing  beyond  mediocrity.  Nevertheless,  that  perseverance 
and  earnest  striving  accomplish  more  than  strength  alone, 
has  been  proved  by  the  great  artists  Billow  and  Tausig,  who 
with  slight  bodily  frame  and  small  hands  have  done  such 
wonderful  things. 

For  becoming  thoroughly  conversant  with  this  method  in  a 
short  time  with  the  most  favorable  results,  the  "  Tausig-Ehr- 
lich  Daily  Studies  ?>  are  indispensable,  as  offering  the  great- 
est number  of  entirely  original  mechanical  exercises  of  every 
kind,  and  containing,  so  to  speak,  a  complete  course  of  piano- 
gymnastics.  In  view  of  the  universal  and  unlimited  appro- 
bation of  these  exercises  by  the  most  eminent  and  competent 
authorities  representing  the  various  schools,  the  author  ven- 
tures to  assert,  that  they  form  the  most  useful  basis  of  that 
system  which  by  difficult  exercises  of  short  duration  leads  to 
a  rapid  and  general  development  of  technique,  and  allows  so 
much  the  more  time  and  attention  to  be  devoted  to  strictly 
musical,  artistic  culture.  In  order  that  these  exercises  may 
be  practised  exactly  in  the  spirit  of  Tausig  and  according  to 
the  intentions  of  the  author  of  this  little  book,  who  has 
worked  out  and  arranged  the  exercises  from  sketches  and 
made  some  not  altogether  unimportant  additions,  there  follow 
precise  directions  for  each  separate  number. 

The  author  at  the  same  time  takes  the  liberty  to  suggest, 
out  of  his  own  experience,  to  teachers  who  make  use  of  the 
"  Daily  Exercises  "  for  their  pupils,  that  they  should  not 
strictly  follow  the  order  prescribed,  but  have  their  pupils 
practise  at  the  same  time  a  variety  of  exercises  having  dif- 
ferent aims.  The  order  of  arrangement  is  for  the  sake  of 
system ;  study  must  be  regulated  according  to  individual 


28  HOW   TO    PRACTISE    ON   THE    PIANO. 

capacity.  For  some  pupils,  especially  the  advanced,  exercises 
on  stretches,  or  in  broken  chords,  especially  the  double- 
note  and  wrist-exercises  in  Book  II.,  are  advisable  immedi- 
ately after  the  first  three  lessons.  Here  the  teacher  must, 
of  course,  decide  what  is  most  proper.  Students  who  are  far 
advanced,  will  best  judge  for  themselves  what  they  require. 


DIRECTIONS  FOR  PRACTISING  THE  "TAUSIG=EHRLICH 
DAILY  STUDIES." 

BOOK  I. 

THE  author  recommends  that  Exercise  No.  9  be  taken  up 
first  of  all,  each  separate  tone  being  struck  not  only  twice, 
as  written,  but  8  or  10  times.  Observe  well  that  each 
finger  should  be  raised  as  high  as  possible,  and  then  fall  on 
the  key  with  full  force,  and  with  the  fleshy  tip.  The  wrist 
must  be  held  motionless,  almost  rigid,  upper  arm  and  elbow 
close  to  the  body.  After  this,  Exercise  No.  1  should  be 
taken  up,  and  thereafter  the  rest  in  regular  order. 

No.  1.  —  To  be  played  with  great  distinctness,  so  that 
each  tone  be  heard  separated  from  the  other. 

No.  2.  —  Play  in  f  time,  raising  the  fingers  high ;  let  the 
5th  finger  in  ascending,  and  the  thumb  in  descending,  always 
remain  down  till  the  next  tone  is  struck.  Thus  : 


In  the  left  hand,  of  course,  the  thumb  remains  down  in  as- 
cending, the  5th  finger  in  descending. 

No.  3.  —  To  be  played  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  No.  2. 

No.  4.  —  Likewise  |.     The  last  three  notes  of  each  group 


crescendo, 


I    |    J    J     j     j     — ,    and    similarly   in    descending. 
;j_  *^» — *-{?•<  .J. 


Perfect  distinctness  is  an  essential  condition. 

29 


30  HOW   TO   PRACTISE    ON   THE   PIANO. 

No.  5.  —  Slow  and  loud ;  the  first  note  for  the  2d  finger 
must  be  struck  powerfully,  and  not  shortened. 

No.  6.  —  The  last  three  notes  of  each  group  somewhat 
crescendo. 

No.  7.  —  Slow,  loud,  the  quarter-notes  strongly  accented ; 
the  whole  force  must  proceed  from  the  fingers,  the  hand  to 
be  kept  perfectly  quiet  and  not  to  add  the  slightest  pressure. 

No.  8.  —  Raise  the  fingers  high  without  the  aid  of  the  wrist, 
and  let  them  fall  hammer-fashion.  The  exercise  is,  after 
frequent  slow  practice,  also  to  be  played  in  quicker  tempo, 
when  the  wrist  will  come  a  little  into  play. 


No.  9.  —  Already  spoken  of. 

Nos.  10  and  11.  —  The  groups  perfectly  uniform,  the  first 
note  not  to  be  shortened,  but  rather  to  be  played  with  a  very 
slight  accent. 

No.  12.  —  Perfectly  uniform ;  here  no  note  is  to  be  made 
prominent  above  another. 

No.  13.  —  In  both  hands  hold  the  first  note  (#,  right  hand, 
c,  left  hand)  as  a  half-note.  Also  play  the  exercise  in  con- 
trary motion,  the  right  hand  taking  the  notes  of  the  left  hand, 
and  vice  versa. 

No.  14.  —  The  4th,  3d,  and  2d  fingers  should,  being  kept 
perfectly  rigid  and  half-bent,  glide  one  after  the  other,  thus 
holding  the  key  as  firmly  as  possible ;  let  the  fingers  fall 
powerfully  on  the  fleshy  tip ;  keep  the  arms  perfectly  quiet. 

No.  15.  —  This  exercise  is  to  be  played  fast,  yet  with  the 
greatest  distinctness  on  the  part  of  the  4th  and  oth  fingers. 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 


31 


1433 


etc. 


No.  16.  —  The  main  point  of  these  exercises  consists  in  the 
stretch  from  the  2d  to  the  3d  finger.  Do  not,  therefore, 
spring  from  one  tone  to  another,  but  play  legato,  slowly,  leav- 
ing the  2d  finger  down  till  the  3d  has  struck. 

To  attain  perfect  uniformity  of  both  hands  in  this  exercise, 
play  it  in  the  left  hand  thus : 


No.  17.  —  To  be  played  slow,  with  heavy  stroke  on  each 
tone.     Beware  of  letting  the  tones  run  into  each  other ;  each 
one  must  be  heard  distinctly,  perfect  in  itself.      The  left  hand 
plays  two  octaves  loiver,  that  the  two  thumbs  may  not  collide. 
No.  18.  —  An  essential  condition  here,  as  also  in 
Nos.  19,  20,  and  21,  —  is,  that  the  finger  which  holds  the 
quarter-note  should  be  raised,  nota£  the  fourth  sixteenth-note, 
but    after  it.     Hence  a  slow    tempo    must  be  observed,   in 


32  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

which  it  is  much  more  difficult  to  perform  the  exercise  well, 
than  in  quick  tempo,  in  which  the  holding-on  till  after  the 
fourth  sixteenth  would  be  impracticable. 

No.  22.  —  This  exercise  is  likewise  to  be  played  slowly, 
each  separate  note  to  be  powerfully  struck ;  the  half-notes 
must  be  strictly  held. 

The  author  feels  bound  to  observe  here,  that  the  exercises 
should  invariably  be  played  in  all  the  keys,  in  order  to  produce 
really  satisfactory  results. 

It  is  only  by  being  forced  to  move  with  certainty  in  all 
directions  that  the  fingers  obtain  that  elasticity  and  muscular 
power  which  the  mechanical  part  of  modern  piano-playing 
demands.  But,  as  it  would  consume  much  time  and  cause 
fatigue  to  practise  eveiy  exercise  in  all  the  keys,  consecu- 
tively, they  should  be  played  the  first  time  in  4  keys,  c,  c$,  d, 
eb,  the  second  time  in  e,  /,  /$,  g,  the  third  in  at?,  a,  bb,  b. 
When  the  pupil  has  gone  once  through  all  the  keys,  he  can 
select  those  which  he  has  found  most  difficult.  Transposition 
may  at  first  be  found  troublesome  ;  but  now-a-days  every  one 
who  studies  music  as  a  profession  must  transpose.  Amateurs 
who  practise  these  exercises,  may  avoid  the  drudgery  of 
transposing  by  having  them  written  out  in  the  different  keys 
by  a  copyist.  At  any  rate,  it  is  indispensable,  we  repeat,  to 
practise  in  all  the  keys,  and  the  lamented  Tausig  regarded 
this  as  the  chief  basis  of  his  system.  His  idea  was,  it  is  true, 
to  begin  with  the  most  difficult  keys,  but  the  author  deems 
it  better  for  the  sake  of  unity  to  start  from  C  major. 

No.  23.  —  This  exercise  is  most  generally  quite  wrongly 
conceived  and  practised.  All  pupils  play  it  with  an  accent 
of  the  hand,  even,  if  possible,  with  a  push  of  the  arm.  This 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    PIANO. 


33 


is  all  wrong.  The  author  cannot  better  indicate  the  correct 
execution  than  by  advising  the  pupil  first  to  play  the  exer- 
cise very  slowly  as  follows, 


^f=^    -n       1 

=3^=3^3= 

0  0 


etc. 


with  the  accent,  that  is,  on  the  first  note ;  only  the  fingers 
may  move  and  by  their  own  strength  strike  the  keys ;  the 
palm  of  the  hand  should  be  perfectly  quiet,  and  must  not  give 
emphasis  to  the  fingers.  When  the  above  preparatory  exer- 
cise has  been  practised  for  some  time  with  great  exactness 
and  very  slowly,  the  pupil  may  play  the  first  note  —  the 
appoggiatura  —  always  faster  and  faster  with  a  sharp  accent, 
being  very  watchful  that  the  hand  does  not  fall.  This  is  best 
prevented  by  holding  the  elbows  as  close  to  the  body  —  in 
front  —  as  possible.  As  many  pupils,  despite  our  repeated 
caution  not  to  let  the  hand  sink  after  the  finger-stroke,  never- 
theless move  the  arm  and  hand,  I  have  introduced  the  follow- 
ing variant,  which,  though  difficult,  leads  most  surely  to 
complete  independence  and  repose  of  the  fingers : 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 


I 


.    t     -  — |-- — — fe— — —   — •— — i 

— r  -»u     ^~        *  -Jf-Y     E^-bi»u— • — •— e=i=|=-»— • — J 

— Fbai — a~" — — — ' 1 — I —  I — R)arl — a~  i — FH — I — _r  I — a~l — 

JZ*z »-fci— 1 1,    ,  iiiT17*  '    *  ' — '    i    •    ~  *  '    a^!    ' 


— M. F-»^ ^J — ^ ^0 , . 


etc. 


=F=P-     '    -F->-f-f_P=     T 


etc. 


No.  24.  —  This  exercise,  which  the  author  of  this  work  in- 
vented ten  years  ago  for  his  own  use,  and  through  which 
Tausig  was  primarily  induced  to  confide  to  him  a  share  in 


HOW    TO  PRACTISE   ON    THE    PIANO.  35 

the  work,  and  afterwards  its  entire  elaboration,  is  very  diffi- 
cult, and  many  a  stretch  is  impracticable  for  small  hands  if 
the  half-note  be  held  strictly.  This  exercise  is  also  fatigu- 
ing, and  should  at  first  be  played  perhaps  in  only  two  major 
and  two  minor  keys,  always  alternating  from  one  to  the 
other.  The  main  point  is  the  perfectly  even  execution  of 
the  thirty-second  notes,  which  must  be  played  loud  and  very 
legato.  The  exercise  is  to  be  taken  only  in  moderate  tempo. 
No.  25.  — -  All  these  exercises  formed  from  scales  are  to  be 
practised  as  indicated  in  the  Introduction ;  i.e.,  when  the 
thumb  passes  under  or  is  passed  over,  the  key  previously 
struck  is  to  be  held  by  the  respective  finger.  The  exercises 
may  also  be  extended  by  variants,  such  as 


— •*« etc. 


The  fingering  here,  especially  at  the  transition  to  dfr,  is  some- 
what awkward. 

No.  26.  —  In  this  exercise  the  chief  object  of  attention 
should  be  that  the  tones  struck  by  the  2d  and  4th  fingers  be 
played  perfectly  legato  and  quietly.  Any  tempo  may  be 
applied  here. 

No.  27 This  exercise  is  one  of  those  which  are  to  be 

practised  only  in  moderate  tempo;  the  quickest  would  be 
j  =  100.  For  the  chief  point  is  the  perfect  distinctness  of 
the  individual  notes  simultaneously  with  a  perfect  legato. 
Here,  too,  the  hand  must  be  kept  perfectly  quiet,  which  at 
first  is  difficult,  especially  in  passing  the  thumb  under  the 
2d  finger  in  the  minor  keys. 


36  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

No.  28 —  For  practising  this  exercise  with  the  greatest 
profit,  it  is  advisable  to  hold  in  both  hands  the  notes  for  the 
thumb  and  5th  finger  as  quarter-notes. 

The  left  hand  plays  two  octaves  lower. 

No.  29 A  crescendo  at 


so  that  the  tones  struck  by  the  2d  and  4th  fingers  may  sound 
loud  and  distinct.  The  exercise  should  be  practised  chiefly 
in  those  keys  in  which  the  2d  and  4th  fingers  have  to  strike 
black  keys. 

No.  30 —  To  be  played  loud,  the  5th  finger  well  bent.  Any 
tempo  is  suitable. 

No.  31.  —  Rather  slow.  The  elbows  must  lie  close,  so  that 
in  passing  the  fingers  over  or  under  the  hand  may  retain  its 
position  unchanged.  Even  though  the  body  should  follow  the 
motions  of  the  fingers,  the  arms  must  remain  firm  in  position. 
This  very  useful  exercise  may,  without  fatigue,  be  carried 
through  all  the  keys  at  one  time. 

No.  32 The  main  point  here  is  the  strengthening  of  the 

3d  and  4th  fingers.  Practise  in  three  major  and  three  minor 
keys  at  a  time  (major  and  minor  alternately) ;  the  exercise 
is  somewhat  fatiguing. 

No.  33 The  first  exercise, 


HOW   TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    PIANO. 


37 


not  fast,  loud,  the  octaves  not  detached  but  very  smoothly 
connected.  The  following  variant  will  be  found  very  useful, 
for  the  left  hand  especially  : 


The  second  exercise 


is  to  be  played  as  fast  as  possible,  but  very  distinctly  and 
very  loud. 

No.  34.  - — -  Legatissimo,  loud,  not  fast. 

No.  35.  —  In  tolerably  slow  tempo,  with  perfectly  quiet 
hand ;  the  right  and  the  left  hand  hold  firmly  the  notes 
struck  by  the  thumb  and  followed  by  the  skip  of  a  seventh, 
with  a  view  to  perfect  legato.  The  left  hand  plays  the  exer- 
cise two  octaves  lower.  Here  is  a  somewhat  difficult  but 
very  useful  variant: 


No.  36 This  exercise  is  to  be  played   in   precisely  the 

same  manner  as  No.  35 ;  here  too  the  thumb  firmly  holds  the 
tone  followed  by  the  skip  (here  that  of  a  sixth).     The  arms 


38  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

close  to  the  body.  The  left  hand  two  octaves  lower.  For 
the  left  hand  in  the  first  measure  take  the  fingering  3  5 
instead  of  4  5 


and  so  on  throughout  in  descending. 

No.  37.  — -  This  exercise  may  be  taken  in  any  tempo  not  in- 
compatible with  the  most  perfect  repose,  certainty  and  even- 
ness of  stroke,  and  legatissimo  playing.  Not  being  very 
fatiguing,  it  may  be  carried  through  all  the  keys  at  one  time. 

No.  38.  —  To  be  taken  at  first  very  slow,  and  even  after 
frequent  practice  not  faster  than  0  =  100.  Always  loud  and 
legatissimo.  An  essential  condition  is  a  perfectly  uniform 
legato  at  the  places  where  the  fingering  is  given.  To  be 
practised  in  all  keys  (always  four  at  a  time ;  see  p.  32,  No. 
22),  as  often  as  possible,  because  the  motion  of  the  fingers 
hereby  excited  will  be  of  great  assistance  in  executing 
broken  chords. 

No.  39.  —  This  exercise  also  is  to  be  played  legatissimo ; 

in  ascending,  the  3d  finger  is  to  be  held  down, 


in  descending,  the  5th  finger 


This  exercise  is  most  profitable  in  tonalities  in  which  the 
3d  and  5th  fingers  must  often  strike  black  keys. 

Nos.  40  and  41  are  exercises  with  the  hands  in  contrary 
motion  ;  hence  the  direction  that  each  hand  should  first  prac- 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON   THE    PIANO. 


39 


tise  its  own  part  separately.  The  pupil  must  then  aim  at 
the  most  perfect  distinctness  and  uniformity,  in  a  rapid  tempo. 
The  exercise  is  to  be  practised  forte,  as  well  as  piano. 

After  these  exercises,  let  the  pupil  attempt  to  play  the 
first  of  Cramer's  Studies,  in  Part  I,  with  his  hands  crossed, 
the  left  hand  taking  the  right-hand  part,  and  vice  versa : 


BOOK    II. 

No.  1.  —  The  exercise  can  be  played  in  any  tempo ;  in  the 
left  hand  two  octaves  lower. 

No.  2.  —  The  chief  condition  here  is  that  the  hand,  at  the 
passing-over  and  under  of  the  finger  immediately  after  of 
before  an  octave,  shall  remain  in  the  same  position ;  hence, 
the  exercise  should  be  played  at  first  very  slowly.  Players 
with  small  hands  are  advised  to  hold  the  hand  rather  high, 
so  as  to  facilitate  the  passing-over  and  under. 

No.  3.  —  This  exercise  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  and 
fatiguing,  and  at  the  same  time  most  useful.  It  is,  of  course, 
to  be  attacked  by  those  players  only  to  whom  the  other 
exercises  are  already  tolerably  easy,  or  who,  without  having 


40  HOW    TO   PRACTISE    ON   THE   PIANO. 

studied  special  preparatory  exercises,  have  a  powerfully  built 
hand  and  strong  fingers.  As  indicated  in  the  Book  itself,  the 
exercise  is  to  be  taken  adagio,  and  with  the  fingers  lifted  high. 
It  is  to  be  practised  in  those  tonalities  especially  in  which 
black  keys  often  occur.  For  small  hands  the  1st  exercise 
(on  the  second  brace),  marked  "  Another  fingering,"  is  per- 
haps quite  impracticable  if  the  quarter-notes  are  to  be  strictly 
sustained.  With  this  fingering,  however, 


32121 


the  exercise  may  be  played  without  special  difficulty.  The 
other  difficulties  are  much  less  important.  The  exercise  be- 
longs, as  has  been  said,  among  the  best,  but  it  must  (like 
many  a  gymnastic  exercise)  be  practised  quietly  and  with 
great  moderation,  till  the  fingers  are  so  strengthened  that  they 
can  carry  it  through  six  keys  without  fatigue. 

No.  4.  —  This  exercise  also  —  Tausig  constructed  it  for  his 
own  use  - —  is  difficult  and  fatiguing,  but  unsurpassable  for 
strengthening  the  fingers  and  rendering  them  independent. 
The  chief  points  aimed  at  are  uniformity  of  stroke  and  a 
perfectly  smooth  connection  between  the  2d  finger  and  the 
thumb.  It  is  another  of  those  exercises  which  are  to  be 
played  at  first  in  only  three  keys,  for  avoiding  excessive 
fatigue. 

U"0i  5.  —  Here  may  be  applied  all  that  was  said  concerning 
No.  23,  in  Book  I ;  the  4th  finger  must  attack  with  a  rather 


HOW   TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE   PIANO. 


41 


strong  accent,  bent,  and  with  the  fleshy  tip ;  the  chord  is  to 
be  struck  with  the  power  of  the  fingers  only,  with  no  aid 
from  the  hand. 

No.  6.  —  This  exercise  is  to  be  played  in  various  ways. 
First,  with  two  ties,  thus : 


second,  connecting  only  the  4th  sixteenth  with  the  following 
one,  the  others  being  played  staccato  : 


-0-  -•-  -9 


and  third,  thus : 


In  this  staccato  the  wrist  comes  into  play. 

No.  7.  —  This  difficult  but  excellent  exercise,  which  bears 
eloquent  testimony  to  the  genial  Brahms'  earnestness  and 
thoroughness  in  whatever  he  sets  about  to  do,  is  to  be  prac- 
tised with  the  3d,  4th  and  5th  fingers  of  both  hands  sharply 
curved,  the  thumb  remaining,  on  the  contrary,  always  per- 
fectly extended.  In  this  way  alone  can  the  exercise  be  mas- 
tered. It  may  be  taken  in  any  tempo ;  distinctness  is  of 


42 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 


course  indispensable.  Only  a  practised  and  strong  player 
will  be  able  to  carry  it  through  more  than  three  or  four  keys. 
No.  8.  — -  Play  legatissimo,  loud,  and  separate  the  single 
tones  one  from  the  other.  The  surest  means  of  avoiding  all 
uneveaness  is,  at  first  to  keep  the  thumbs  of  both  hands 
always  down : 


and  in  the  variant  the  5th  finger  in  the  right  hand,  the  4th  in 
the  left  : 


i 


--  •-  - 

-.  --  1  --  V- 


No.  9.  —  This  exercise  is  perhaps  still  more  useful  for 
strengthening  the  weaker  fingers  than  the  preceding  one.  It 
must  be  practised  first  by  each  hand  separately,  with  the 
arms  perfectly  close  to  the  body,  and  —  as  in  No.  8  —  keep- 
ing down  the  thumb  in  the  right  hand,  the  4th  finger  in  the 
left.  Play  with  powerful  stroke.  A  most  excellent  exercise 
is,  to  practise  the  variant, 


HOW   TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO.  43 

in  the  following  manner  in  both  hands  and  in  all  the  keys, 


i 

playing  the  tones  given  to  5  1  as  a  Trill,  which  may  be  pro- 
longed at  option. 

In  this  some  very  difficult  positions  will  occur,  as,  for  ex- 
ample, at  the  transition  from  at>  to  a,  — 


1515 


here  the  hand  is  to  be  kept  perfectly  quiet  —  no  easy  matter 
even,  for  practised  players.  The  author  can  give  this  exer- 
cise —  which  is  entirely  original  with  Tausig  —  as  also  the 
Trill-variant  above  indicated,  the  strongest  recommendation, 
founded  on  experience. 

EXERCISES  FORMED  FROM  BROKEN  CHORDS. 

Before  proceeding  to  the  directions  for  each  separate  exer- 
cise, the  author  deems  it  necessary  to  repeat  with  emphasis 
that  precisely  these  exercises  are  all  to  be  played  with  the 
awkward  close  position  of  the  arms,  and  that  it  is  better  that 
the  body  should  follow  the  movement  of  the  hands,  than  that 
the  arms  should  be  freed  from  their  awkward  position.  Only 
after  long  practice  can  the  teacher  permit  more  freedom,  or 
the  pupil  take  upon  himself  to  use  it. 


44  HOW   TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE   PIA^YO. 

No.  10.  —  The  pupil  should  lay  his  hands  —  extended  and 
with  the  fingers  bent  —  over  the  keys  to  be  struck,  before  be- 
ginning. Each  tone  must  then  be  struck,  slow  and  loud,  with 
a  slight  accent  on  the  double-notes. 

No.  11.  —  The  same  way  of  playing.  The  accent  on  the 
Third  must,  however,  be  stronger  than  in  the  preceding  ex- 
ercise. The  player  should  take  special  care  that  the  Thirds 
always  sound  perfectly  even,  full  and  strong,  avoiding  the 
arpeggiating  way  of  playing  — 


into  which  so  many  pupils  unconsciously  fall. 

No.  12.  —  Here,  where  the  3d  and  4th  fingers  have  the 
Thirds,  or  Seconds,  as  the  case  may  be,  the  directions  for 
Nos.  10  and  11  must  be  applied  with  still  greater  emphasis. 
Only  when  the  double-notes  are  struck  perfectly  full  and  even, 
is  the  aim  of  the  exercise  reached. 

No.  13.  —  The  same  manner  of  playing.  Here,  however, 
special  attention  should  be  given  to  the  4th  and  5th  fingers, 
that  they  remain  curved  and  always  strike  powerfully  with 
the  fleshy  tip. 

No.  14.  —  Here  each  group  should  be  sharply  detached ; 
the  Sixteenths  are  to  be  played  with  perfect  evenness,  the 
first  one  of  a  group  by  no  means  to  be  shortened. 

Nos.  15  and  16  are  exercises  which  require  the  fingers  to 
exert  all  their  muscular  strength.  For  the  fingers  only  must 
strike,  and  that  with  full  force,  the  hand  and  the  wrist  not 
being  allowed  to  add  any  emphasis  to  the  stroke.  For  avoid- 
ing any  such  emphasis,  the  pupil  will  do  best  to  hold  firmly 
the  first  two  tones,  thus : 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    PIANO. 


45 


and 


_^=L 


The  left  hand  will  here  play  two  octaves  lower.  Difficult  as 
these  exercises  are  at  first,  they  will  in  a  short  time  show 
themselves  to  be  proportionately  excellent  and  beneficial. 
The  player  who  practises  them  slowly,  with  moderation,  and 
in  the  manner  prescribed,  will  feel  by  the  end  of  a  week 
how  greatly  and  rapidly  they  promote  the  independence  of 
the  fingers  and  also  the  power  of  stroke. 

No.  17.  —  An  almost  easy  exercise,  when  played  in  quick 
tempo,  in  which  the  touch  is  facilitated  by  the  swing  of  the 
hand  ;  but  difficult  and  fatiguing  when  played  slowly,  so  that 
the  fingers  must  each  time  strike  with  full  force,  unsupported 
by  the  swing  of  the  hand ;  to  be  practised,  therefore,  slowly 
and  in  moderation  until  the  pupil  can  play  it  for  a  long  time 
without  feeling  the  least  fatigue. 


TRILLrSTUDIES. 

Nos.  18a,  18b.  —  It  is  to  be  remarked  chiefly  that  the  trills 
in  these  two  exercises  may  be  extended  much  further  than 
indicated ;  i.e.,  they  may  be  repeated  20  or  30  times : 


the  player  has  only  to  take  care,  that  the  hand,  in  changing 


46  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    PIANO. 

to  the  next  position,  remains  perfectly  quiet.  The  duration  and 
rapidity  of  the  trill  must  depend  on  the  pupil's  strength  and 
usual  practice. 

No.  19.  —  Here  a  repetition  of  the  trill  (in  the  Sixteenths} 
would  not  be  expedient ;  the  exercise  is  to  be  practised  pre- 
cisely as  it  stands.  The  chords  are  to  be  played  with  a  per- 
fectly quiet  stroke  of  the  fingers,  without  any  aid  from  the 
hand.  A  faster  tempo  than  a  moderate  allegro  will  be  hardly 
practicable  even  for  a  well-trained  pianist. 

No.  20.  —  A  perfect  legato,  especially  in  the  lower  tones 
(eighths)  ;  no  finger  should  be  raised  before  the  other  strikes 
its  note.  The  following  would  be  the  exercise  for  the  left 
hand  corresponding  to  that  for  the  right : 


This  exercise  may  also  be  very  profitably  practised  in  the 
following  manner,  prolonging  the  trills,  — 


f-^--^^  -^  * 

An  excellent  variant  is  also  this  — 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 


47 


No.  21.  —  This  exercise  is  less  for  practice  in  trills  than  for 
that  of  double-notes;  it  is  difficult,  and  must  be  practised 
very  slowly.  Here  also  are  two  variants  applicable  with 
great  profit.  Extension  of  the  trill : 


In  both  cases  the  quarter-notes  should  be  held  strictly. 

No.  22.  —  The  directions  for  Nos.  20  and  21  apply  also  to 
this  exercise.  As  an  exercise  for  double-notes  it  is  to  be 
played  with  the  fingers  lifted  rather  high. 


EXERCISES  ix  DOUBLE-NOTES. 

The  author  advises  the  earnest  student  to  practise,  before 
attacking  these  exercises,  some  preparatory  exercises  in 
Thirds  and  Double-notes.  Tausig  added  to  his  edition  of 
dementi's  "  Gradus  ad  Parnassum  "  a  series  of  scales  in 
Thirds,  with  special  fingering.  Another  most  excellent 
exercise,  too  little  known,  was  published  many  years  ago  by 
Czerny ;  it  forms  a  complete  piece  in  itself,  leading,  in  con- 
tinuous passages  of  Thirds,  through  all  the  major  and  minor 
keys,  and  often  exhibiting  very  original  combinations.  The 


48  HOW   TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

author  can  conscientiously  advise  all  teachers  and  students 
to  become  acquainted  with  both  the  exercises  just  najned, 
certain  that  they  will  find  so  much  the  less  difficulty  in  the 
Tausig-Ehrlich  exercises  now  to  be  discussed. 

No.  23 This  exercise  must  be  practised  at  first  very 

slowly,  with  a  powerful  stroke  ;  the  whole  note  must  be 
sustained  till  after  the  last  16th  (this  of  course  only  in  slow 
tempo  ;  in  quick  tempo  the  note  cannot  be  held  so  long). 
It  is  very  profitable  to  so  extend  the  trill  that  each  measure 
may  contain  8  quarter-notes. 

No.  24 This  exercise  cannot  be  practised  too 'slowly  at 

first.  For  its  chief  aim  is  the  connecting  —  as  closely  as  pos- 
sible —  the  two  Thirds  : 


smoothly  together.  The  player  must  endeavor  to  bring  over 
the  3d  and  5th  fingers  to  the  keys  in  such  manner  that 
they  may  glide  rather  than  jump.  This  requires  a  consider- 
able exertion  of  strength  on  the  part  of  the  fingers,  especially 
if  the  arm  remains  firm  in  position.  It  is,  therefore,  per- 
fectly clear  that  the  exercise  is  most  profitable  when  played 
very  slowly,  powerfully  and  as  legato  as  possible.  It  is 
easier  in  quick  tempo,  because  in  the  passage  given  above  the 
fingers  glide  more  easily.  The  variant  on  the  same  page,  in 
which  the  Thirds  in  the  right  hand  ascend,  and  those  in  the 


HOW   TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO.  49 

bass  descend,  offers  some  difficulties  on  account  of  the 
stretches,  but  is  perhaps  less  awkward;  here,  too,  a  slow 
tempo  is  advisable. 

No.  25 This  exercise  in  Sixths  is  difficult  for  very  small 

hands  only ;  but  in  a  slow  tempo  it  is  generally  conquered 
before  very  long.  Somewhat  more  difficult  is  the  second 
part  with  the  descending  figure ;  this  requires  slow  tempo 
and  precise,  even  attack  where  the  fingers  cross.  The  upper 
arm  must  always  be  held  close  to  the  body. 

No.  26 Only  slowly  and  forcibly  ;  to  be  played  in  hardly 

more  than  4  keys. 

No.  27 This  exercise  may  be  played  in  any  tempo,  pro- 
vided it  sounds  distinct.  It  is  advisable  to  take  it  through 
in  both  piano  and  forte.  The  chief  care  here  must  be  for  a 
very  exact  and  uniform  connection  of  the  tones. 

No.  28 A  genuine  finger-breaker  a  la  Tausig,  especially 

for  small  hands  !  But  also  one  of  the  most  original  inven- 
tions of  the  great  executive  artist,  who  in  technical  com- 
binations has  evinced  so  much  cleverness ;  there  exists  per- 
haps no  second  exercise  aiming,  like  this  No.  28,  with  such 
directness  and  certainty  at  developing  the  stretch  between 
the  2d  and  3d  fingers.  In  execution  the  hand  must  be 
stretched  and  the  fingers  firmly  bent.  Players  with  small 
hands  will  hardly  be  able  to  avoid  sometimes  holding  the 
2d  and  3d  fingers  stretched  out  high  and  rigid  ;  the  augrn. 

Fourth    c  a  or   .    will  always    be    difficult  for   short   fingers. 

Nevertheless,  this  exercise  is  so  efficacious  and  beneficial, 
that  it  cannot  be  sufficiently  recommended.  Only  let  the 
player  practise  it  with  moderation  and  leisurely,  carefully 
avoiding  all  excessive  fatigue. 


50  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

Nos.  29  and  30 Each  of  these  exercises  consists  of  sev- 
eral parts,  each  part  to  be  gone  through  by  itself.  The  first 
part  in  No.  29  contains  the  chromatic  scales  as  a  basis  for 
double-notes ;  in  No.  30  the  chromatic  scale  lies  in  the 
higher  part  of  the  double-notes.  The  other  parts  are  each 
another  combination  of  double-notes  in  chromatic  progres- 
sion ;  here  the  tempo  cannot  well  be  prescribed.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  say,  that  in  playing  each  double-note  the 
greatest  distinctness  combined  with  a  perfect  legato  is  abso- 
lutely essential. 

The  whole  series  of  exercises  in  double-notes  is  to  be 
recommended  only  to  advanced  pupils  who  have  passed 
beyond  the  middle  stage,  or  to  such  as  have  long  and  power- 
ful fingers  ;  these  will  be  able,  even  should  their  technical 
skill  be  not  yet  markedly  developed,  to  go  through  most  of 
these  exercises  in  double-notes  without  risk  of  incurring 
excessive  fatigue. 


W  RIST-EXERCISES. 

Although  mention  has  already  been  made  (p.  15)  of  the 
proper  manner  of  beginning  and  going  through  the  wrist- 
exercises,  the  author  deems  it  expedient  to  return  to  the 
subject  with  some  additional  remarks.  That  in  all  octave- 
passages  the  black  keys  are  generally  to  be  struck  with  the 
4th  finger,  will  be  best  realized  by  the  player  in  executing 
the  chromatic  scale  in  octaves,  without  following  the  author's 
method,  therefore  with  the  arms  unrestrained,  being  only  con- 
cerned to  keep  the  hand  so  quiet  that  it  does  not  slide 


HOW   TO   PRACTISE   ON    THE   PIANO.  51 

forward  and  backward,  but  remains  in  the  same  position. 
Here  he  will  at  once  discover  that  the  4th  finger  automat- 
ically —  so  to  speak  —  falls  on  the  black  keys ;  these  are 
shorter  than  the  white  ones,  and  to  reach  them,  the  finger 
must  be  more  extended.  The  5th  finger  is  often  unable  to 
reach  from  a  white  key  to  a  black  one  unless  the  hand 
pushes  it  forward,  while  the  4th  finger  naturally  lies  perfectly 
free  near  the  black  key ;  it  has  only  to  strike  it,  without  the 
least  stretching  being  necessary.  The  author  can  give  the 
fullest  assurance  that  Liszt  and  Thalberg  (his  teacher)  as  a 
rule  played  octaves  in  no  other  way,  and  only  in  certain 
special  leaps  here  and  there  used  the  5th  finger,  along  with 
the  4th,  on  black  keys.  It  has  happened  of  late  that 
virtuosi  and  teachers  make  frequent  use  of  the  5th  finger  on 
black  keys.  The  author  ventures  to  disapprove  of  this 
usage,  and  to  maintain  that  it  can  be  justified  by  excep- 
tional circumstances  only.  That  the  "  Daily  Studies  "  con- 
tain no  actual  Octave-exercises,  is  explained  in  the  preface 
to  that  work  by  the  fact  that  Theodor  Kullak's  "  Method  of 
Octaves "  has  exhausted  the  subject,  so  that  nothing  new 
remains  to  be  said  on  this  head. 

The  author  therefore  refers  students  to  that  work,  at  the 
same  time  offering  the  suggestion  that  the  wrist-exercises  on 

_J I l_ 


the  single  tones  rfjrF"** a n be  repeated  10,  20, 


or  30  times,  or  oftener,  as  they  are  among  the  most  strength- 
ening. Moreover,  the  chromatic  scale  in  the  compass  of  an 
octave,  with  the  hands  in  contrary  motion, 


52  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON   THE   PIANO. 


practised  with  the  arms  and  elbows  close  to  the  body,  is  an 
excellent  preparation  for  the  most  difficult  passages  which 
require  the  action  of  the  wrist,  such  as  now  come  under 
consideration. 

No.  31.  —  The  wrist-exercises  of  this  collection  are  subject 
to  no  particular  tempo  —  the  player  may,  when  he  has  mas- 
tered the  difficulties  and  made  sure  of  uniform  wrist-motion, 
choose  the  tempo  for  himself.  The  beginning  should,  how- 
ever, even  with  trained  players,  be  taken  quite  slow,  for  the 
perfectly  uniform  raising  and  lowering  of  the  hand  is  the 
first  indispensable  condition,  and  is  attainable  and  kept  un- 
der sure  control  at  first  only  by  slow  playing,  with  arms  and 
elbows  close  to  the  body.  The  player  has  but  to  attend  to 
the  one  point,  that  the  elbow  lie  in  front  as  steady  as  possible 
—  everything  else  will  come  of  itself,  including. the  stroke 
with  the  fleshy  finger-tip. 

No.  32 This  exercise  (devised  by  the  author  of  this  work 

for  his  own  use)  should  be  played  loud,  and  with  perfect 
evenness.  The  pupil  should  give  the  preference  to  tonalities 
having  many  black  keys.  In  playing  the  exercise  legato,  be 
very  careful  not  to  clip  off  the  1st  pair  of  sixteenths  from  the 
second  pair,  thus : 

the  2d  sixteeenth  should  be  fully  sus- 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    PIAXO.  53 

tained  :  at  the  two  sixths  E5Ezz^=i?iz       the  hand  should 


be  pushed  along,  as  it  were,  without  being  raised. 

The  following  repetition  may  be  employed  as  a  variant: 


No.  33.  —  In  this  exercise  perfect  evenness  of  stroke  in 
both  hands  is  the  chief  condition.  To  attain  this,  the  hands 
should  remain  always  spread  out  over  the  keys,  so  that  be- 
tween the  last  chord  of  the  left  hand  and  the  first  of  the 
right,  and  contrariwise,  no  break  be  felt,  and  the  chords 
sound  as  if  played  by  one  hand. 

No.  34.  —  A  very  difficult  exercise,  but  one  which  gives 
to  the  wrist  and  the  fingers  certainty  and  force  in  the  most 
difficult  positions,  especially  in  striking  black  keys.  It  may, 
without  special  fatigue,  be  carried  through  all  the  keys  (at 
least  through  6  or  8)  at  a  time,  by  large  hands:  it  will  be 
better  for  small  hands,  which  find  the  stretches  difficult,  to 
play  it  through  only  2  or  3  keys  at  a  time,  choosing,  how- 
ever, new  keys  each  time  it  is  resumed. 

No.  35.  —  An  exercise  of  complex  difficulty.  To  be  prac- 
tised slowly  with  a  powerful  stroke,  the  fingers  always  falling 
hammer-fashion. 

No.  36.  —  The  elbows  must  absolutely  lie  close  to  the  body 
without  moving  from  it;  since  the  forearm  in  leaping  must 
alu'ays  move  to  and  fro,  the  only  possibility  of  a  sure  control 
over  the  correct  and  uniform  raising  and  lowering  of  the 
wrist  is  in  the  steadiness  of  the  elbows  in  their  position. 


54 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 


No.  37.  —  In  this  exercise  there  can  certainly  be  no  question 
as  to  the  method ;  the  point  is,  to  play  it  well  and  distinctly, 
whatever  position  be  chosen.  Here  let  the  player  find  out 
for  himself  how  to  get  through.  If  he  has,  by  diligent,  cor- 
rect practice  of  the  foregoing  exercises,  strengthened  his 
fingers  and  developed  a  supple  and  steady  wrist,  this  exer- 
cise will  present  no  great  difficulties;  —  no  one  will  find  it 
easy ! 

STRETCHES  AND  SKIPS. 

Instead  of  theorizing  how  the  pupil  may  best  acquire  the 
proper  execution  of  Stretches  and  Skips,  the  author  ventures 
to  make  a  practical  proposition  at  once.  Let  the  following 
figure  be  played : 


at  first  very  slowly,  with  the  fingers  fully  stretched  out;  the 
hand  must  not  raise  itself,  or  jump,  but  must,  as  it  were,  be 
drawn  ;  take  the  tempo  gradually  faster  and  faster ;  the  wrist 
must  be  kept  quite  easy,,  so  that  the  drawing  motion  of  the 
hand  to  the  right  and  the  left  may  take  place  without  any 
difficulty.  After  these  preparatory  exercises  have  been  gone 
through  with  for  8  or  10  days,  the  pupil  may  proceed  to  the 
exercises  in  the  "  Dailv  Studies." 


HOW   TO    PRACTISE    ON   THE   PIANO.  55 

No.  38 Always  stretch,  not  jump.     Here   is  a  variant 

of  greater  difficulty : 


No.  39.  —  Same  rule  as  just  bef ore,  same  variant. 

No.  40.  —  Similarly. 

No,  41.  —  It  is  impossible  to  play  this  exercise  with  the 
upper  arm  quite  close  to  the  body.  But  the  pupil  who 
attacks  this  exercise  must  have  already  practised  the  others 
so  well  as  to  make  it  easy  for  him  to  hold  the  elbows  at  least 
pretty  near  to  the  body,  and  not  turned  outward  so  as  to 
form  an  angle,  as  it  were,  ~==z  ^==~,  as  is  the  habit  of 
some  players. 

Nos.  42  to  47.  —  All  these  exercises  are  to  be  played  in 
the  manner  indicated  for  the  preparatory  exercises.  That 
the  left  hand  has  great  difficulties  to  overcome,  the  author  is 
perfectly  aware.  But  he  offers  the  following  observations. 
In  the  first  place,  these  most  difficult  exercises  occur  at  the 
end  of  Book  II ;  the  place  that  they  occupy  sufficiently  in- 
dicates that  the  editor  takes  for  granted  they  are  to  be  played 
only  after  the  preceding  ones  have  all  been  pretty  well  mas- 
tered. And  in  the  second  place :  If  the  pupil  is  so  far 
advanced,  this  exercise  in  the  left  hand  will  no  longer  appear 
so  excessively  difficult,  and  will  seem  but  the  last  stage  of 
technical  finish.  No.  47  requires  a  very  light  hand  and  at 
the  same  time  a  powerful  stroke. 


56  HOW    TO    PEACTISE    OX    THE    PIANO. 


BOOK    III. 

This  book  contains  no  strictly  systematic  exercises.  It 
offers,  however,  much  that  is  new,  and  many  original  com- 
binations, especially  in  the  part  following  the  Preludes,  which 
is  the  work  of  Tausig  alone.  A  few  words  may  be  not  un- 
acceptable to  the  student  as  to  the  technical  purpose  aimed 
at  in  these  Preludes.  Tausig's  idea  was,  that  after  having 
gone  through  the  purely  mechanical  exercises  the  pupil 
should  take  up  some  small  and  difficult  pieces,  in  which  one 
and  the  same  passage  should  be  played  in  different  positions, 
and  with  all  the  various  shadings  of  tone-color,  thus  com- 
bining with  mechanical  difficulty  every  variety  of  touch  and 
of  delivery.  His  sketches  of  the  fifth  and  the  seventh  Pre- 
ludes show  several  variants,  after  his  manner  of  constantly 
speculating  and  philosophizing  concerning  technics  and 
rhythmics,  resolving  each  single  passage  into  its  parts,  then 
from  heterogeneous  passages  combining  something  entirely 
new.  He  intended  that  the  Preludes  should  in  this  way  be 
very  comprehensive,  but  his  untimely  death  prevented  the 
completion  of  the  undertaking.  The  editor  can,  therefore, 
only  give  some  hints  as  to  the  ten  Preludes  which  are  pub- 
lished. 

Prelude  I.  Give  to  the  1st  and  4th  sixteenth  in  every  beat 
a  full  and  strong  accent,  yet  each  time  with  a  different  de- 
gree of  power,  so  that  the  higher  notes  of  the  double-notes 
form  a  melodic  phrase.  Especially  this  : 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    PIANO. 


57 


_^_       _-    - -    _    -^    _     ,  _       _«__«_.    Jf_ 


should  lie  well  accentuated  :   the   last  four  measures  as  for- 
ciblv  and  brilliantly  as  possible.      In  the  second  measure,  at 


the  fingering  0  1   '2  mav  be  applied. 

Prelude  II.  It  is  the  aim  in  this  little  piece  to  carry  a 
melody  through  constantly  ascending  and  descending  chords, 
so  that  it  may  be  heard  penetrating  through  them.  The 
player  should,  therefore,  endeavor  so  to  accentuate  the  upper- 
most tone  of  each  chord,  that  the  melody 


may  be  clearly  heard.  The  whole  Prelude  is  to  be  played 
in  this  way;  each  chord  contains  in  its  uppermost  note  a 
part  of  the  melody. 

Prelude  III.  Easy  as  this  piece  may  at  first  appear,  a  good 
and  distinct  performance  of  it  is  very  difficult.  The  finger- 
ing is  often  very  awkward,  and  yet  cannot  be  bettered.  The 
editor  considers  this  little  piece  as  altogether  masterly,  and 
characteristic  of  Tausisfs  faculty  of  combination. 

O  v 

Prelude  IV.  This  Prelude  may  be  taken  in  the  quickest 
tempo ;  the  accent  is  always  on  the  double-notes.  The  hand 
is  of  course  to  be  kept  quiet,  otherwise  the  piece  could  not 
be  played. 


58  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

Prelude  V.  The  double-notes  are  to  be  played  in  both 
hands  always-==:  ==- ;  in  the  4th  measure  a  strong  cre- 
scendo. 

Prelude  VI.  The  chords  must  here  be  struck  off  with  the 
greatest  delicacy  and  in  harp-fashion  ;  at  the  ff  the  4th  and 
the  5th  fingers  must  strike  with  marked  emphasis. 

Prelude  VII.     To  be  played  very  delicately  and  melodiously, 


especially  FjOyl  — J  •         i,and  the  similar 


figure  in  the  4th  measure ;  from  the  5th  measure  on,  cre- 
scendo up  to  forte :  the  last  3  measures  in  accelerated  tempo. 

Prelude  VIII.  To  be  played  like  the  roll  of  a  drum,  and 
so  that  the  playing  of  one  hand  cannot  be  distinguished  from 
that  of  the  other. 

Prelude  IX.  The  difficulty  here  introduced  is  the  fruit  of 
considerable  thought.  The  chief  point  is,  that  the  fingers 
which  have  the  double-notes  should  be  shoved  along,  not 
lifted:  this  requires  a  great  exertion  of  strength.  The 
"  Andante  sostenuto  "  applies,  strictly  speaking,  only  to  the 
first  study  of  the  piece.  If  this  Prelude  can  also  be  played 
well  in  rapid  tempo,  so  much  the  better. 

Prelude  X.  The  melody  lies  in  the  2d  sixteenth  of  every 
beat ;  it  must,  therefore,  be  somewhat  accentuated,  yet  with- 
out being  held  beyond  its  value.  To  play  this  Prelude  with 
perfect  technical  correctness,  and  at  the  same  time  with  ele- 
gance and  melodiousness,  is  by  no  means  an  easy  task. 

As  to  the  exercises  which  follow  these  Preludes,  the  editor 
does  not  deem  it  necessary  to  expatiate  on  them,  as  on  the 
exercises  in  Book  II.  He  who  can  play  this  Book  III  must 


HOW    TO    PRACTISE    OX    THE    PIANO.  59 

necessarily  be  so  advanced  as  not  to  need  any  special  com- 
mentary. The  editor  will  only  call  attention  to  what  may 
interest  even  the  most  practised  player,  namely,  the  various 
wai/s  of  playing  one  and  the  same  exercise.  For  instance,  No. 
2  has  three  variants ;  first,  the  sixteenths  are  played  legato, 
the  accompanying  eighths  staccato  :  then  the  latter  legato,  the 
former  staccato :  the  3d  variant  is  the  perfect  legato  of  all 
the  notes. 

No.  3a  was  a  favorite  figure  of  Tausig's;  he  made  much 
account  of  it,  and  deemed  it  very  useful. 

No.  4  was  most  likely  suggested  by  Chopin's  1st  Etude, 
Op.  1 0.  Tausig,  who  had  very  small  hands,  invented  for  him- 
self the  most  difficult  stretches,  in  order  to  make  good,  in  a 
measure,  by  practice,  the  defects  he  had  inherited  from 
nature,  otherwise  so  bountiful  to  him. 

No.  6  will  certainly  interest  every  pianist  as  a  witness  to 
Tausig's  untiring  study,  and  his  industry  in  forming  all  pos- 
sible combinations. 

No.  7  is  an  exercise  for  testing  the  rapid  withdrawal  of  one 
thumb  from  a  key,  and  the  elastic  and  distinct  stroke  of  the 
other  immediately  after  upon  the  same  key.  The  editor 
ventures  the  suggestion  that  the  end  may  perhaps  be  more 
immediately  attained  by  conceiving  the  exercise  in  the 
following  manner: 


No.  7a  is  another  exercise  devised  by  Tausig  for  testing 
himself,  like  Nos.  12  and  17b. 


60  HOW    TO    PRACTISE    ON    THE    PIANO. 

Nos.  9  and  10  afford  excellent  practice  in  changing  fingers 
on  the  same  keys. 

No.  13  to  be  played  both  staccato  and  legato. 

No.  16,  in  the  same  way. 

No.  18.  Whoever  has  heard  Tausig  play  Chopin's  e-minor 
concerto,  and  remembers  how  he  played  the  closing  measures 
of  the  Finale,  not  with  both  hands  in  bound  triplets  but  in 
alternating  octaves  in  the  quickest  tempo,  and  how  this 
stormy  passage  always  sounded  so  distinct  that  each  single 
note  could  be  plainly  heard,  will  recognize  in  No.  18  the 
preparatory  study  for  those  closing  measures  of  the  Chopin 
Finale.  Tausig  acted  on  the  principle  that  the  player  can 
best  master  a  difficult  passage,  not  by  attacking  it  at  once, 
but  by  first  taking  up  other  exercises  containing  the  same  class 
of  difficulty,  but  in  all  possible  positions  and  keys.  In  this 
way,  purely  mechanical  proficiency  will  have  attained  such  a 
pitch,  that  the  player  may,  when  practising  the  difficult  pas- 
sage in  question,  at  the  same  time  add  all  the  necessary 
minutiae  of  the  delivery.  In  this  way,  doubtless,  did  Tausig 
study  those  last  measures  of  Chopin's  concerto.  And  with 
this  reminiscence  of  the  great  and  nobly  ambitious  artist, 
whom  death  tore  from  art  and  from  his  friends,  the  editoi 
brings  this  little  work  to  a  close. 


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